NUCLEAR AT HEART OF GREEN ENERGY MISSION

India bets on nuclear power to complement solar and wind energy, but private capital remains cautious amid risks and restrictions

- By Arjun Yadav

SINCE 2021 SOLAR AND WIND energy have been central to discussions on renewable energy. The momentum was high. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set India's Net Zero target to 2070 at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. India was doubling down on renewable energy and the target that the Prime Minister wanted energy players to focus on for Net Zero carbon emission was not 2070, but 2030. At the heart of this goal, among other climate-related initiatives, was 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, with half of India's installed capacity being green by the same period.

Fast forward four years, and India has achieved 50 per cent of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel (renewable plus nuclear plus hydro) sources by mid-2025, five years ahead of its original target of 2030. The country has expanded renewable energy capacity nearly threefold from about 76.37 GW in 2014 to around 234 GW by 2025. However, this rapid growth has mainly been driven by solar and wind energy, with India becoming the third-largest solar power capacity holder worldwide.

Energy sector experts continued to emphasise, even as solar and wind power surged, that the base load would continue to be supplied by thermal power in the years to come. Why? Because even as the grid integrates more renewables, their intermittent nature has exposed limitations. The sun doesn't shine at night, and wind doesn't blow consistently. Batteries are improving, but costs remain high. This is where the government considered reintroducing nuclear energy into the conversation as a zero-carbon, base-load energy source that can anchor India's energy security over the next three decades.